Archives for December 2010

Today was another relaxing day and Paul & I had fun watching the boys swim, play golf, shoot hoops, etc. Cooper isn’t feeling well today so I did get a ton of snuggle time with him! We were invited to a ton of parties but everyone knows that I am not the girl to stay up late and that my boys schedules are too important to keep so I am being super boring and heading to bed right after I post this… Yes, at 10:30pm on NYE… I’m old! 😉 Just spending time in the Word and with family is my perfect evening and perfect way for me to end my year! The kids went to bed at their normal time and Paul and I rang in the New Year with my parents on East Coast time at 9pm here.

We had an amazing dinner at The Canyons Steakhouse up here in our club and we sat out on the patio and it was absolutely perfect and so gorgeous!

Cooper still isn’t feeling well so he really laid low tonight and my lil sweet pea, Camden, actually feel asleep eating a bite of steak and well, he’s out for the night! So exhausted. It was a sight and he was just too precious. Here he is curled up in his dinner chair at the restaurant with a cozy blanket they provide to outdoor dining guests.

Paul made me take this picture and post it because he thought I looked so cute tonight although I must say I look exhausted…

And here is our last picture of 2010… In my pj’s and ready for bed… almost! 😉 Paul looks silly and I look worn and tired. It’s been a long day!

Happy New Year everyone! We hope your year was just as eventful and fruitful as ours… May God richly bless each and every one of you every day this next year!

‘let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.‘ ~ Hebrews 10:22

Today was the best birthday… Boys woke me up with kisses all over my face telling me they were my ‘prince charming’ and telling me I am the most beautiful princess ever! Awwww… way to make my year boys! 😉 My mom and I spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the spa getting massages and being pampered which of course was awesome and then I spent the rest of the day watching my boys swim and play. For dinner we went to one of my favorites in the desert, Roy’s Restaurant. David, our favorite waiter there that we’ve known for 15 years totally spoiled us and took care of us! I had crab stuffed shrimp for dinner and it was to die for delicious! Roys is amazing with kids and they have all kinds of fun stuff for them which is part of the reason I chose this for my birthday! 🙂 Upon arrival, there is a big treasure chest filled with brand new toys in the box and the kids each get to choose one. Right after they seat us they immediately bring the kids an appetizer of a quesadilla and veggies and dip to hold them over til their dinner meal arrives and it makes the evening nice for us adults because we can actually sit and relax and enjoy each others company without starving, whining kids! It’s fabulous! All 3 of my boys were so happy tonight I had a perma smile!

Here is me, Paul and Camden… Cooper was waaay to busy playing and eating! 😉

They even make special desserts for the kiddos with their name on it and my lil chocolate souffles with a raspberry coulis was heavenly!

Today is one of my favorite days every year… the snow day and the fishing derby that Bighorn puts on… So blessed that we get to have a house here and spend time with my parents and see our old friends from SoCal. Bighorn goes all out with everything they do and they don’t skimp on any detail when it comes to the kids…

I woke up and sat on our patio to drink my morning coffee and read the Word and this is my view… I absolutely love these mountains. Such a quiet, relaxing and peaceful place. Honestly, this is my heaven on earth!

Snow day was in the morning from 8am-11am and they had a huge breakfast and man made snow for the kids on the front of the driving range… There were a few sled runs for them which was awesome!

They also had a DJ and a hula hoop contest… Here are my sweet boys getting down! 😉

I got in some snuggle time… Always a plus for a mommy! 🙂

And my husband had me acting silly… Like that was a hard one! HA Of course he captured me perfectly.

Next thing up was the fishing derby where they put a ton of trout in one of the manmade lakes at the golf club and we got to catch fish! Camden had a rough start as he got one of the fishing hooks stuck in his finger but it ended up being a blast! We caught 8 fish in all which the boys were ecstatic about and they had a HUGE lunch spread for us as well!

Here is one of the 8 fish we caught…

And my gorgeous hubby helping the kids cast the line… Or whatever you call it! LOL

And the view from up here… Stunning! And we couldn’t have asked for better weather, either!

Today was an exciting day and we feel so blessed to be able to be a part of something like this! We BBQ’d steaks tonight and then we did smores.

Boys are wiped and have been asleep for a while and I think I’m headed to bed early tonight also! Looking forward to celebrating my birthday tomorrow with my beautiful family and then New Years!

My side of the family goes crazy on Christmas eve as that is when my big Italian family has a humongous feast… I am exhausted beyond belief and have to be up at 3:30am tomorrow morning to head down to California… Here are a few pictures to recap our evening.

My niece, Izzy and I loving on each other in our new Blazer jerseys… LOVE! She is such a cutie… I was caught talking in this pic (what’s new)! 😉

And here is my brother, Chris and his wife, my super adorable sister in law, Kristine!

I’m so excited that my parents gave me an ipad for Christmas this year! Now I have something fun to play with on our vacation and I can update my website from it! WooHoo

I will end on a greater note… The presents and material things mean nothing and don’t really matter because truth be told, they won’t make it to heaven with me! What matters most and what we are really celebrating tonight, tomorrow and always, for that matter, is the birth of our amazing, loving & captivating Savior, Jesus Christ! Without Him, none of us would even be here and I cannot begin to comprehend the suffering, torture and distress that He went through for MY sins and yours! Think about this and if you don’t know Christ I suggest that you fully give your life to Him today! It’ll be the best choice you’ve EVER made and His love is a love like to other… He will never ever forsake you and His love is eternal!

Here are my two verses for you tonight… I am dwelling on these as I drift off to sleep so excited to celebrate the birth of my Savior! He truly is like no other!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:6

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 15:13

Tonight my amazing girlfriends took my out for an early birthday dinner at one of my favorite Portland restaurants, Oba! It is pure deliciousness and you can view the menu here. Highly recommend this place if you are looking for a fun, upbeat atmosphere and yummy food! Perfect for date night or a night out with the girls! There were only 5 of us as I prefer something more intimate and my closest friends around me. The evening could not have been more perfect and not only was my dinner delicious, but the sweet fellowship I shared with my dear friends was priceless! The Lord has blessed me with some incredible women to share my life with… They couldn’t be more real, supportive and loving and I’ve also been blessed with an amazing man as my husband… A godly, incredible man that is my best friend, a true leader and the most amazing father to our children! Somebody pinch me, please! I just am indebted to my loving Savior who has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams! And I swear, the older I get, the better it gets! I may be barely into my 30’s but this past year has been the best year of my life, bar none! I’m so excited for what the Lord has for me, my marriage and our family this next year!

I have a few pictures I’m waiting on from my friend Sue to email me because I totally forgot my camera… So check back soon.

I did, however, get a (terrible) photo courtesy of my iphone of my dinner plate… Which was absolutely mouth watering but you can’t tell because it was so dark in there! LOL

A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers, blesses you with love and encourages you with hope. <3

It has been SUPER busy in our house and we are recovering from more sickness… Wonder when we’ll all catch a break! This is the second time that the yuckies have passed through every person in our house! 🙁

This year we got the tiniest tree ever but we actually absolutely love it! Since we leave on Christmas morning before the sun comes up we figured the smaller the better because it’s a pain taking it down late on Christmas eve… I also cheated big time this year and didn’t wrap a single gift… I did gift bags for everybody and it saved me mounds of time! I may just do it again every year! LOL Although I won’t have the excuse of being sick every year (Lord willing)!

The kids had their school program which was absolutely adorable and Nunni & Grampa got to come enjoy the entertainment also! They always love watching their grandkids do EVERYTHING! And I must admit, they are adorable children! 😉

Cooper and Camden also had their class parties and I had so much fun helping out… Cooper’s class made mini gingerbread houses so I took Cooper to buy bulk candy to decorate it and Camden’s class frosted cookies, played Christmas bingo, made cards and did a few other crafts! By far an amazing way to end the week before Christmas break started!

To top off the night we took the boys to the Festival of Lights at Portland International Raceway and it was GORGEOUS!!!! They gave us a cd to put into the car as we drove through the miles of lights that coordinated with the lights… Brilliant! We had so much fun. I swear I’m getting old because I’m ready for bed by 9pm every night! We’re excited for Christmas and ready for sunny Southern California!

So the past week we have been super sick in our house and we have all been in bed and on the couch… The house is a mess… well, dishes done, laundry done and tidy but a total mess! 😉 but I have managed, while laying on the couch for days to skim through a few cookbooks for ideas and read a book called Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs by Cindi McMenamin. Its about trusting God with your everyday life and your emotional life. The Lord is our happily ever after and we can all live a life in intimacy with the Lover of our souls! With Christ’s all encompassing love we will go hungry again! No human person be it a spouse, friend or child, can completely satisfy us and they will always let us down because let’s face it, we’re human… Not the case with Jesus! We get to experience the joy of being filled and satisfied and nothing in my mind could be better!

God promises us in His word that seeking a future of intimacy with Him is far better than hoping for a happily ever after in anything the world can offer- be it princes, palaces, or pleasures it says in the book! In Psalm 118:9 He tenderly tells us, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.’ This couldn’t be more right! 🙂

Here is amazon.com’s description of the book:

Women long to be loved, to be known, to be understood. But who can meet those needs at their deepest level? Only the One who created women—who knows them by name and who designed them—can bring fulfillment that truly satisfies.

The only other thing we’ve managed to do is a cute, fun gingerbread house with the boys! They were so excited to put it together and decorate it… Year after year this never gets old to them and Paul and I absolutely love watching them do it!

So I have the Christmas baking itch and decided to make my famous Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Biscotti today…

Here is my recipe…

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

1/2- 1 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silpat like me. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl to blend and creamy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Add the toasted chopped hazelnuts and stir in the chocolate chips until just combined.

Form the dough into a roughly 16-inch-long, 3-inch-wide log. Transfer the log to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 25-30 minutes. Cool 30 minutes.

Place the log on the cutting board. Using a serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the cookies cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies until pale golden, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a rack and cool completely. ENJOY!

More recipes to come soon… Just finally feeling settled and cozy in the new place! 🙂

She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. ~Proverbs 31:17

Not sure why I’m feeling compelled to write this morning, but I do. I had a frustrating situation this morning that left me super annoyed and on top of that I thought it was Wednesday so I frantically ripped all of the sheets off the beds and threw them in the wash to get […]

It’s been awhile, once again, but man has life been crazy busy lately. I know it won’t be slowing down, but I’m soaking it all in and thankful for these 4 babes of ours that keep me on my toes! Life is more full than I have ever known it, and I’m doing my best […]

Hiiiiiii!!!! It’s been WAAAAAYYYYY too long since my last post and I really really miss you all and my little corner of this world wide web! I miss this space and the community it has brought me. I miss sitting down and writing and sharing recipes! I never knew exactly how busy life would be […]

Omigosh I LOVE this song and have had it on constantly lately! So grateful I serve a good Father who is ALWAYS there in those moments that I so desperately need Him whether I am seeking Him or not… It brings such a peace over my soul knowing that I am so dearly and deeply […]